The rise of lab-grown diamonds, explained

The famous streaming platform “Netflix'' releases an original series called “Explained” where they pick apart the history and coming about of a certain topic, engaging us in 30 minutes of well done research. One of those informative episodes follows the history and rise of diamonds, shedding light on lab-grown diamonds as well. 

How did this invention come about and how can this product help us positively impact our future? Here is the rise of lab-grown diamonds, explained.

Humanity saw its first batch of lab-grown diamonds in the 1950s. We can date it back to when Tracy Hall and his team first discovered the ability of carbon atoms to create four perfect bonds with its neighbours - a perfect lab-grown diamond. The first publicly synthetically manufactured diamonds were created in 1954.

There are essentially two ways to create a diamond in a lab. 
One, to recreate the natural conditions of high pressure and temperature like it would be in the earth’s crust, making carbon crystallize into diamond.
The other would be chemical vapour deposition. Let us simplify the jargon for you - by using gases, a microwave generator and high pressure, the diamond would grow vertically as the carbon atoms accumulate. It would essentially come out as a plate of diamond, and not small chunks. 

As gemologists on the show dictate, it would take someone with years of experience and high quality equipment to tell the difference between a lab-grown diamond and a natural one.  

De Beers, the monopolizer of all things diamond, did not like this sudden competition. They used their expert advertising skills to slap back with a campaign called “Real is Rare” where they shed light on how naturally occurring diamonds were scarce, hence making them more desirable. 

However, in 2018, we see De Beers take a sudden shift in stance - they launched their own lab-grown line! However, they priced and positioned themselves the lowest in the market, claiming that the prices reflected the mass production of lab-grown diamonds. Most strategists speculate that this was done to bring the value of lab-grown diamonds low, so it was looked at as non-desirable and went with the option that they’ve always been presented - natural, De Beers diamonds. 

This hasn’t stopped lab-grown companies, though. Using the classic connection of diamonds and love, they have also capitalized and emerged successful in making their product known on the market. As much as natural diamonds want to take synthetic diamonds out of the game, the numbers and awareness has already escalated. People have been educated on the conflict behind naturally occurring diamonds and are looking for better options. 

This is where we step in. The Diamond Library is committed to making those people’s visions and dreams come true. We offer an option that does zero harm, is at an affordable price point but still maintains the feeling of grandiosity, love and affection. Our stunning collections give you all the options you need..and more! Visit our website for all things ethical!